Bob,
Reading your response and thinking back over the condition of some of
the parts as I disassembled them, I think you are on to something. I
remember when removing the steering arm that the two bolts attaching it
were visibly bent. The steering arm appeared to have no damage.
Additionally, the front lower fulcrum mount was bent. I replaced that
fulcrum mount during the rebuild. My original thinking was that after
38 years and what appears to be original rubber bushings, coupled with
being driven for who knows how long in such a poor condition, was the
reason for the bent bolts and fulcrum mount. I am now wondering, as you
hinted to, if this front side as taken a sever hit into a curb or
something similar in the past. I can really understand what you mean
when you say "have spare parts... big dividends".
My current plan is to move on to the drivers side and at the appropriate
point, partially disassemble the passenger side and compare the
vertical links, spindles and steering arms for trueness.
Your advice is greatly appreciated.
Cheers, - Robert -
-------------------------------------------------
Robert M. Lang wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I just wanted chime in on this one. The initial concern was that shorter
> springs can result in excessive camber. My direct experience is that the
> shorter springs DO result in a negative camber change, but it is very
> small. In my case, I was actually trying to get negative camber to help
> cornering, and by simply removing the spring pads I was able to get from 0
> camber to about 0.5 degrees negative.
>
> But the other thing I wanted to touch on was the condition of the
> "uprights" and the spindle attachment. It turns out that these parts can
> be effected by various forces including the intentional! Back in the day,
> it was not uncommon for racers (and wannabes) to put a pipe on the spindle
> and pull up to bend the link (and/or the spindle (axle stub)). The result
> is a camber change. Similarly, severe shocks (like hitting a kerb) can
> bend those puppies.
>
> So, it's probably a good idea to verify that the upright and spindle is
> okay. This is one of those cases where having a parts car or another
> complete car to measure things pays "big dividends". But you mention that
> the start of this exercise was apparent excessive negative camber. That
> points to something being bent. BUT you need to verify the observation
> with measurements - so before you go nuts, verify what the camber is
> either positive or negative by getting the car on a rack or by setting up
> a "string alignment" and measuring stuff. Then you can know what's going
> and not working on a "hunch".
>
> Trust me - the hunch thing is a crap shoot. My cars would have a lot more
> miles on them if I could get around that hunch thing. By the way, doing
> the suspension (bushings, springs, etc.) was very rewarding to me. It
> transformed my car back to the way I remembered it. Of course I had a
> "hunch" I could do better and built another car. Go figure.
>
> :-)
> rml
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